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Regional Businesses Connect Young Men of Color with Jobs, Pathways to Success

In a visible sign of Detroit’s ongoing economic resurgence, more than 40 national and regional employers descended on Cobo Center on Monday to fill 300 full-time and 100 seasonal positions. The Pathways to Success summit, hosted by My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, connected employers with boys and young men of color.

The job fair drew more than 1,500 young people, who met and interviewed with companies like the Detroit Police Department, Little Caesars, Meijer, Quicken Loans, Starbucks and Walgreens.

As part of its ongoing effort to grow the regional economy, the Detroit Regional Chamber served as a key partner for the Summit, helping to recruit Chamber member businesses to provide jobs and/or training opportunities.

“In Detroit, we’re facing an economic boom in the construction industry but also a trade labor shortage. For so many years, people have been told to go to college and it has taken away from the skilled trades industry overall. We need to replace those workers who are starting to age out,” said Dannis Mitchell, diversity manager at Barton Malow Co.

“Events like this Summit are a great way to meet these younger individuals and educate them on the steps needed toward a job or apprenticeship,” Mitchell added. “This is a tremendous experience for not only the youth but for the employers who are looking to tap into a new talent pipeline. We want to be a change agent in the community.”

In addition to on-the-spot interviews, the Summit provided free resume building workshops, mock interviews, coaching, haircuts from local barbershops, and sports coats and ties donated by Macy’s.

For more information on My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, visit www.mbkalliance.org.